Steering-wheel for motor-cars.



. MCKENZIE.

STEERING WHEEL FOR MOTOR CARS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5,1915.

Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

a 1 2 W m r K m m m m 2 w y H a m 1 1 1 WW s w W m W W M ArraR/wsns:

T. w. McKENZIE.

STEERING WHEEL FOR MOTOR CARS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5.19:5.

Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z- 4 7' roe/ins re,

COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH co.,wAsmNG'roN, n. c.

THOMAS W. MCKENZIE, OF INDIANAPQ rs, Innrann, assre von or. one-gram TQ- EABLES- ari 'miaeio .mamas:wer

TEEBIN rWEEEP.. 3.M TQlkQAEE- PatentedNov. 16, 1915 Application .filed June 5,.1915., Serial No. 32,380.

To all whom it-mayooncern Be it knownthatl, THOMAS MoKnN: ZIE, a citizen of the United-States, resldlng at Indianapolis, in the county of; Marion and State of Indiana, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Steere ing-lVheels for Motor-Cars, of WhiGhthe following is a. specification.-

This invention relates. to steering wheels employed in, connectionwith the, steering mechanisms of motor and simllarvehlcles.

In the proposed steering wheelsthe conw. tinuity of the rims, 1s und sturbed and not formed in sections, as obtainsin my. former Letters .Patent No. 1,104,524,.so that stronger and more rigid Wheelsresult, besideseliminating considerable work and expense,such.

as matching, and assembling the, different sections of my former wheel and in. d spenss ing with the necessary, hinges therein,

The object of.- the invention is to provide.

a steering wheel of the above, character which can bodily bemovedlaterally from the staff on steering. head toprov1deaddr-,,

tional room for the operator when getting into or outof the motorcar, and when the wheel is in operativepositlonlt wlllbe rig idly secured tothe steering head,

A further object ofzthe invention is to provide steering wheel Ofithe abovechan. acter which, in addition to itstmovabil ty,

will be strong and durablef I accomplish the objects of the invention.

by means of the construction shown in the accompanying drawings, forming. a part hereof, in which Figure 1 1s. a side elevatlon of my 1m. proved steering wheel.

lines my improved wheel in its normal op erative position and by means of the. full;

lines the position of the wheel when. moved or shifted to one side of the steering head.

Fig. 2 is. atop. or plan View showing by means. ofthe dotted separate from the, steering wheel asshown and forpurposes which will be hereinafter. explained. The steering Wheel comprises asan integral part thethree spokes 12and a central joining member 13, and the. rim 14 which issecured to'the .outel; ends of the spokes in. theusual, manner. The .hub 11 1s provided With an. extended integral arm. 15 .whichacts asa guide for thewheel in its lateral movementaway, fromfthe hub: 11 and; terminates. at its, free end in a curl. or hook; 163. which contacts the. transverse bolt 17, to both limit the distance ofdisplacementof, the, wheel and to prevent separation of ,the. parts. The bolt, 17 is. retained by theribsl8 on. thespoke 12 and. issufiiciently removed from the under faoepofthe spoketo permit the passage ofmhe arm. 15.

Whenthe wheelstands in normal position the ribs ,ldslightly. projeotinto a pair of notches 20; in the hub 11 and .preventinde. pendent movement of, either part when the. wheel is under torsionalstrain, To add further strength and rigidity betwenthe wheel part and, hub 11 the. joining. member 13 of .theformer, is providedwitlr acentral notch 22 to. receive. the extension. 23 on said hub, and xthe notch .22 and'extension 23are formed ,Wedgeshapeso that the parts make a closer workingrfit as the Wheel is moved. home. Whenthe Wheel occupies its. nor-. mal: operative position, its accidental displacement. is prevented by means .of the hook 25, formed $011 the. outer. end of .the movable. spoke 26, engaging. a socket. formed by means. of. the plate .28 securedto therim la ofthe; wheeL: Asshown, the. spoke 26-. is. movable to... enable it to be. removed from. the space that. becomes available when the. wheel is moved .to one side with respectto the vhub;.1l. This spoke is pivoted at. 30.. to. anenlargenlent 31; formed on theside of the hulrll, andthe ,hubisnotchedas at: 32 to receive the, butt. end ofthe. spoke 26. and tolimit itstravel: aroundthe. pivot 30. in a direction to extend it. When the spoke 26 isIeX-tended; as. shown in. Fig 5, it is locked by means of the latch bar 35 Which terminates in a hook 36 which isreadily accessible to the operator for retracting the latch bar. The opposite end of the latch bar 35 engages an aperture 37 in the hub 11 when the spoke 26 stands in normal position and a spring 38 is provided for normally holding the latch bar. againstthe periphery of the hub and forcing it into the aperture 37 when the two register.

The movable parts of the wheel so far de scribed would involve two operations which would consume too much timethat of moving the spoke 26 backward and then shifting the wheel. To enable these parts to be shiftedsimultaneously, I connect the spoke 26 with one of the spokes 12, or any part of the movable wheel, by means of the connecting bar'LO so that with-a single movement in throwing the spoke 26 the whole wheel will move from the dotted position to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2. This construction is simple, performing two operations in one, and having the nature of the invention in mind and the many times it is used during the course ofa day on delivery Wagons and trucks, much time will be saved, which is of the utmost importance.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-v r 1. In a device of the above described class,

the combination, with a steering shaft, a hub secured to the upper end of said shaft, a guide arm secured to and projecting laterally from said hub, a steering wheel susceptibleiof lateral movement from said hub along said arm, a spoke formed independently of the wheel and pivotally mounted on said hub and susceptible of being moved beneath the steering wheel when occupying its shifted position. j

2. In a device of the above described class,

- the combination, with a steering shaft, a

guidev arm projecting laterally from said hub, .'a steering wheel susceptible of lateral movement from said hub along said arm,

and integral ribs arranged at right angles of the wheel to engage the notches in the hub and preventindependent rotary movement between theparts when occupying normal position.

4. In a device of the above described class,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for the combination, with a steering shaft, a hub secured to the upper end of said shaft, a guide arm projecting laterally from said hub, a steering wheel susceptible of lateral movement from the hub along said arm, said Wheel being provided with a centrally located wedge shaped notch, and a wedge shaped extension on the hub to enter and snugly fit said notch when the wheel is moved home.

5. In a device of the above described class, the combination, with a steering shaft, a hub secured to the upper end of said shaft, an arm projecting laterally from said hub for supporting the wheel in its shifted position, a steering wheel susceptible of being moved laterally from said hub, a spoke formed independently of the wheel and pivotally mounted on said hub, said spoke being capable of being moved from its normal position to and underneath the steering wheel. when the latter is shifted to one side of the hub, andmeans for securing the movable spoke and wheel together in their normal operative position.

6. In a device of the above described class, the combination, with a steering shaft, a hub secured to the upper end of said shaft, an arm projecting laterally from said hub, a steering wheel susceptible of being moved laterally from said hub, a spoke formed independently of the wheel and pivotally secured to the hub and susceptible of being moved back and beneath the shifted steering wheel, means on the hub for limiting its movement in a direction to extend the movable spoke, and means for locking the movable spoke in operative position.

7. In a device of the above described class, the combination, with a steering shaft, a hub secured to the upper end of said shaft, an arm projecting laterally from said hub, a steering wheel susceptible of being moved laterally from said hub, an independently formed wheel spoke pivotally secured to said hub and susceptible of being moved away from its normal position, and means connecting the movable spoke and wheel together for simultaneously moving said wheel when moving the movable spoke.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 19th day of May, A. D. one thousand nine hundred and fifteen.

THOMAS IV. MCKENZIE. [1,. s]

Witnesses:

F. W. WOERNER, L. B. WVOERNER.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

